Volodymyr Zelensky asks Thomas Bach, boss of the IOC, to note that “neutrality does not exist”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday denounced the “hypocrisyof the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and invited its leader, Thomas Bach, to visit Bakhmout, one of the hottest spots in the war with Russia.
“I invite Mr. Bach to Bakhmout so that he can see with his own eyes that neutrality does not exist“, launched Mr. Zelensky in his daily address, promising to work for “clean up the hypocrisy of the management of international Olympic structures“.
“It is obvious that any neutral flag of Russian sportsmen is stained with blood“, he continued while Ukraine has been confronted since February 2022 with the Russian invasion which has put this country on fire and blood.
Despite repeated calls from Ukraine to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from the 2024 Olympics scheduled for Paris, the IOC said on Wednesday “to study» the possibility of authorizing them to participate under a neutral banner.
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